Development on extended burnup fuel technologies for practical high temperature gas-cooled reactors; Collaborative research with Kazakhstan

Ueta, Shohei   ; Shibata, Taiju ; Aihara, Jun ; Shaimerdenov, A.*; Dyussambayev, D.*; Takahashi, Masashi*; Kinoshita, Hideaki*; Gizatulin, S.*; Sakaba, Nariaki 

To develop the highly-qualified, mass-produced coated fuel particle in Japan which is supposed to be introduced to small modular commercial high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), a dimensional specification of the fuel has been determined to attain three times higher burnup than that of the HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor). Fabrication technologies of the fuel have been established in collaboration with Japanese nuclear fuel fabricator. As results on irradiation test and post irradiation examination at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kazakhstan via acceptances of two Regular Projects of ISTC (International Science and Technology Center), an excellent performance of the fuel under irradiation has been confirmed. Finally, technologies to extend the burnup for the highly-qualified, mass-produced HTGR fuel have been established first in the world.